I’ve had a rather large harvest of cucumbers this year.  Actually this is the first time I planted them.  And it was on a whim actually.  Deb said, “Here.. plant these.”  And I did.  ????  They actually went to town, believe it or not.  I’m not a food-waster.  It drives me crazy.  I would eat the same thing over and over if there are leftovers rather than throw them away.  So the thought of 30 cucumbers hanging on the vine made me crazy.  My choice was to make pickles and can them, or eat 30 cukes in 2 days.  I will can them, thank you!

But, how in the heck do you can crunchy pickles?  My friend told me about Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime that keeps your cucumbers crisp when canning.  That has always been the biggest down fall of home-made canned pickles for us.  They get mooshy ???? and don’t nobody like a mooshy pickle.  ????  So, I got to thinking.  If the lime works for the sweet pickle recipe on the back of the bag, why won’t it work for dill pickles and peppers?  (pickled pepper rings)

How to Preserve Crunchy Pickles

First things, first.  I’m not going to act like a canning guru because I am FAR from it.  I actually just started canning a few years back and don’t really know what I’m doing. ???? But I have Deb who is the expert.  She helped her mom preserve food her entire life.  So if I have a question, I ask her.  She usually knows the answer, and she helps me, too.

Sweet Pickles

I followed the recipe on the back of the bag of Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime for the Cucumber Lime Sweet Pickles.  Remember that the Pickling Lime keeps the cucumbers firm.  You go through a few steps of soaking them in the lime for so many hours, rinsing them really well and refrigerating them again for so long.  The next step is to soak them in the sweet brine over night.  I set half of the cucumbers aside, that was already soaked in the lime, to process into dill pickles.

Kosher Dill Pickles

Using the recipe on the back of the Mrs. Wages Kosher Dill Pickle bag, I whipped up that concoction according to the directions on the back of that package.  I continued on with the process of letting each of the different flavors, sweet and dill, soak over night.   I, then, processed them both according to the directions on the back of each bag.

Crunchy Pickled Peppers

I planted six banana pepper plants and they all have produced over and above any other year.  It got me thinking.  If the cucumbers stay crunchy using the pickling lime after canning, why won’t banana peppers?  I followed the same steps as I did above with the cucumbers regarding the lime.  I then searched for a good pickled banana pepper recipe online and soaked them in that brine over night.  (Vinegar, Water, and Salt)   I then processed them according to the recipe I used.  And guess what?  They are just as crunchy as the pickles I made.  ????  Yay for Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime.

Just Do It

I’m not an expert in canning.  Actually, I’m not an expert in really much of anything…. ???? BUT, I have a lot of people tell me they are afraid to even try it.  I was, too.  But you just have to do it!  I still haven’t mastered the pressure cooker and probably won’t.  Things that are loud (tools) and things that can explode under pressure (pressure cookers) scare me.  Therefore, me and my big old pot that I hot water bathe all of my veggies in is just fine with me.  I do, however, have to say.  It is very gratifying preserving your own food this day and age.  Not only do you know where and how it was grown, but nothing tastes as good as something you preserved yourself.

Do you preserve your own food?  Are you too afraid to start?  Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks so much for stopping by!   I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it.

Buh bye now!

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